Method and system of managing services in a business center

• US 20060015375A1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clement Lee, Edwin Lam, Lawrence Choi
• Original Assignee: Clement Lee, Edwin Lam, Lawrence Choi
• Inventors: Choi, Lawrence, Lee, Clement, Lam, Edwin
• Application Number:
  US10/897,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015375A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for managing, presenting and booking office space, conference rooms and services of a business center. Visitors to a business center portal may view business center services, check the availability of business center services, and book the services that meet their needs. Business center personnel may use the business center portal to manage the business center including managing the available business service, generating reports, and generating work orders and work lists.

Claims

1. A method of managing services in a business center, comprising:

receiving a request for available services in a business center;

presenting at least one available business center service to an end user communication device in response to said request;

receiving a booking request specifying at least one business center facilities service for booking;

booking the specified business center service in response to said received request; and

updating a database to reflect the service has been booked.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a booked services report in response to said request, the booked services report including booked business center services matching the at least one request criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a database to reflect the specified business center facilities resource is no longer available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a food service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a secretarial service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a courier service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the presented at least one available service corresponds to a prior booking of a facilities resource.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the business center service is a courier service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the business center service is a high speed Internet service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the booking request also specifies the time the service is available for renting.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the business center service is a secretarial service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the presented at least one available service corresponds to a particular business center, the particular business center indicated in the request for available services.

8-1. A method of providing available business center services information and booking in a reservation system, the reservation system having an inventory database containing service availability information, the business centers having a business center server with service availability information, comprising:

synchronizing the inventory database of the reservation system with the service availability information of at least one business center server;

presenting a plurality of available business center services to an end user communication device in response to a request for available business center services;

receiving a booking request specifying at least one business center service for booking; and

updating the inventory database of the referral system to reflect the specified business center service is no longer available.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the booking request includes a date relating to the date the business center service is available.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the booking request also specifies the time the service is available for renting.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the booking request also specifies the particular business center.

17. A method of displaying business center services at a business center portal, comprising:

presenting a selection page where a visitor may enter criteria for a business center service, the entered criteria including information specifying a date;

receiving a request for available services in a business center;

retrieving at least one available business center service, the available business center service satisfying the entered criteria; and

presenting the retrieved at least one available business center service to an end user communication device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the specified date is a range of dates.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the availability is based upon a prior synchronization between a database of the business center portal and the database of at least one independent business center.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the synchronization updates the database of the independent business center to reflect the bookings made at the business center portal.